New Flying Car – I want one!

I want one!!

Imagine cruising over bumper-to-bumper traffic at 115MPH or taking that long road trip in less than half the normal time. It could soon be a reality with the Terrafugia Transition – a flying car that was recently approved by the FAA. (story here)

The FAA’s granted the Terrafugia Transition roadable airplane the exemption it needs to bring us closer to our dream of flying cars.The Terrafugia’s been the best hope for a flying car since it made its maiden voyage last March. The vehicle is a two-seater plane powered by regular unleaded gas from your corner Shell station. When flown, the front propeller allows the Transition to travel at a speed of approximately 115 mph for a range of around 450 miles.

According to Terrafugia, the plane can then be transitioned from aircraft into roadgoing vehicle in just 30 seconds with the same fuel source powering the front wheels of the aircraft. It can hit a speed of around 65 mph on the road and returns fuel economy of around 30 mpg.

The FAA weight limit exemption allows the Transition to qualify as a “light sport aircraft,” which only requires 20 hrs. of flying time to obtain a license – far less than a full pilot’s license. There are still a host of regulatory hurdles to overcome but the company expects to have the first production models ready by the 4th quarter of 2011. At a price of $194,000, this obviously is not for everyone. Terrafugia says that they already have about 70 orders and they expect more after the FAA decision.